The Ontario government has committed to ensuring that the revenues of licensed child care workers remain unchanged until 2023 as the deadline approaches to choose its $10-a-day program. However, independent child care workers say this amount is not sufficient.

In 2023, childcare fees will continue to be reduced by an additional 37% for parents who have enrolled their children in a facility under the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system. This is in addition to a 25% fee reduction retroactive to April 1, 2022.

By September 2025, fees are expected to decrease to an average of $10 per day throughout the year. Last year, for-profit child care workers expressed concerns about how this system would affect overall operating costs, citing a lack of transparency about how funding would be divided after 2022.

Holly Moran, Deputy Minister of Education, said in a memo that the government wants to provide "early and clear communication" regarding the government’s funding approach for 2023.

In the documents, the government clearly states that licensed child care workers will not lose any money in 2023 by participating in the program. There will be additional funding of $1.2 billion allocated to compensate for the reduced fee differences.

Editor: Yusra Bamtarf